Palazzolo Acreide

The Church of St. Paul

The church of San Paolo (St. Paul) was built around the mid-18th century in an area of the town where the small church of Santa Sofia (St. Sophia) once stood.
The Basilica of San Paolo, destroyed by the earthquake of 1693, was rebuilt between 1720-1730 and became one of the most beautiful examples of Baroque in the Val di Noto. The mighty façade was probably built by architect Vincenzo Sinatra .

fil di ferro La chiesa di San Paolo
La chiesa di San Paolo

This possible attribution is linked to the similarity of its lateral concavities with Palazzo Ducezio in Noto, where Sinatra worked in the 1740s. It is structured on three levels of arches and columns, surmounted by Corinthian capitals and a prònao that emphasises the depth of the façade, filtering light and creating evocative chiaroscuro effects.
The first level consists of five arcades, each divided by two pairs of Corinthian columns supported by a large plinth at the base of the church.
The second level is astounding. In the centre is a large statue of Christ who appears almost miraculously next to two guardian angels. The bell tower rises up from the final level.

Six pairs of statues of the Apostles adorn the façade, surmounted by a frieze depicting the sword of St. Paul twisted around by a snake. One of the most significant elements of the façade is the large bronze portal depicting the life of the patron saint.

Altars, saints and sculptural works

Baroque creativity: recurring themes

The Monte delle Prestanze in the new city layout

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Paolo

The two churches

The church of San Nicolò l’Arena: the majesty of an unfinished beauty

Geometry and wonder in civic architecture in the Baroque of the Val di Noto

Religious architecture

A heritage of votive works

City and nature

Scicli, the city of Baroque scenery

Art in the cathedral

The senses tell the Benedictine Monastery and the Church of San Nicolò l’Arena

The Antonino Uccello Birthplace Museum

Palazzo Zacco, a balance between sobriety and decoration

A story of rebirth

Unusual iconographies: the Burgos crucifix

Palazzo Trigona: a building with a complex shape

Reconstruction after the earthquake

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Benedictines’ library

Scenography, lights and colours of the cathedral

The Church of St. Francis

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The triumph of Baroque: expansion of spaces

Luminous sacred spaces

The articulated interior spaces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Carlo and the former Jesuit college

The senses tell the Church of San Michele

The freedom of worship and the Catholic Church’s role in the diffusion of Baroque

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista

The expansion of space and changing reality

The Monastery of the Benedictine nuns

Palazzo della Cancelleria: from former stable to the Nicastro family

The Madonna dei Conadomini and the art of devotion

The dynamics of the Church of San Michele

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Church of St. Mary of the Mountain

Barresi-Branciforte: the lords of the fiefdom and the modernisation of the town

The eagle-shaped city

The Church of Madonna della Stella

Piazza Duomo, the elephant fountain, the heart of the city

The interior and works of art

The senses tell of the Cathedral of San Pietro

The senses tell about Palazzo Zacco

Militello: The story of an enlightened fiefdom

Baroque and the loss of balance in the 16th century

The Staircase of Angels

Fountain of the Nymph Zizza: public water in the town

The church and the monastery

The art of maiolica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Badia di Sant’Agata

The Palazzo dei due mori

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

Scenography and devotion for St. Agatha

Verticality and dynamism of the façade of the Church of San Carlo

The city within the city

The Badia di Sant’Agata (St. Agatha’s Abbey)

The neo-Gothic seminary chapel: symbols, light and space

Akrai and Syracuse: an unbreakable bond

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Church of St. Benedict

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Maria del Monte

Rebirth and urban planning of the city of Noto

Madonna of the Militia: a singular warrior virgin

The senses tell the Church of San Domenico

The interiors: diffused light and Byzantine relics

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Giuliano ai Crociferi

San Domenico and Gagliardi’s work

Virtuosity, decorations and altars

The beginning of an authentic Baroque conception

A compromise between Neoclassicism and Baroque

The Church of St. John the Evangelist

The senses tell of Palazzo della Cancelleria

St. Agatha and the candelore

The smallest Greek theatre in the world

From the end of the world to rebirth from the rubble

The works in the church

The church and the college

Expansion, spatiality and light in the church of San Domenico

The senses tell the story of the Sanctuary Church of Santa Maria della Stella

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

The city palace

The new roads of the city

The casket of austerity under the great dome

The Church of St. Julian on Via dei Crociferi

A new site for the church of San Giorgio

Expanded spaces, stucco and colourful lights

One city, three sites

A casket of precious works

Views denied, views conquered: the power of the devout Benedictines

The senses tell about Palazzo Ducezio

A unifying project for the city of Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Trigona

The Infiorata of Noto, a modern tradition

Palazzo Trigona di Canicarao

The Duomo di San Giorgio (Cathedral of St. George)

The palace, the town, the church

The senses tell about Palazzo Beneventano

Majestic exteriors, grandiose interiors

The city of Modica, a balance between nature and urbanism

The interior of the church: space and colour

A stone garden

The Franciscan convent

The Church of St. Paul

The illusion of light and the decorative splendour